


A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

by zebraljb



Series: Tis the Season [22]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 10:50:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17099201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zebraljb/pseuds/zebraljb
Summary: PROMPT - drawingPercival has a talent no one knows about.





	A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

A PICTURE’S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

“But the guards are nowhere near the door,” Eggsy protests. “Saw it myself. Tell them, Percy.”

“Galahad, please do not call me Percy,” the man says patiently. “But he’s right, Arthur. The guards are stationed on the outskirts of the property. Everything by the door is electronic surveillance.”

“That’s nae what our intel says,” Merlin snaps.

Percival calmly looks at him, eyes blue as steel. “Sometimes intel is incorrect, is it not?”

Harry looks uncertain. “If there’s any question…”

Percival heaves a sigh and reaches over to pull the pencil from behind Eggsy’s ear. He swipes a piece of paper from Merlin’s desk. “That’s my…”

Percival ignores him. “Here’s the building…the treeline…” His hands fly over the paper as he sketches. “Guards here and here. Electronic eyes here. Lasers there.”

Eggsy stares at the paper. “Jesus, Percy…Percival. That’s…that’s some impressive drawing.”

“Thank you,” Percival says. “Please trust us, Merlin. We saw it ourselves.” Eggsy nods.

Merlin heaves a sigh. “Very well. This is far too detailed, and you pride yourself on your attention to detail, Percival. I must agree with them, Arthur. We should change our plans accordingly.”

Eggsy grins and tries to give Percival a high-five. He ignores it, to Harry’s secret delight. He loves Eggsy, but sometimes the puppy needs to be put in his place by the big dogs. “Very well. I trust Percival…and Galahad,” he says generously.

“Can I go now?” Eggsy says, pouting at the way he’d been left hanging.

“Yes, Galahad. Have a good evening and thank you for your report.”

“Welcome. See you gents later.” Eggsy breezes out the door. 

“If there’s nothing else?” Merlin grumbles, as irritated as Eggsy. He doesn’t like being told his intel is wrong.

“No,” Harry says. “We’ll talk to you later.” He waits for Percival to leave Merlin’s office and follows shortly after. He’s surprised to find the man waiting by his office door. “Is there something you need, Percival?”

“Just a moment of your time.”

“Of course.” Harry unlocks his office door and they go in. “Tea?”

“Thank you,” Percival says. He waits for Harry to motion him into a seat. “I do hope Merlin doesn’t give you too hard a time. I wasn’t trying to be oppositional.”

“I know. And Merlin needs a hard time now and then. Does him good.” Harry watches Percival out of the corner of his eye as he makes tea. The man sits ramrod straight, light brown hair perfectly in place. His eyes miss nothing as they look around the room. Harry’s eyes are drawn to Percival’s hands, hands that can make a gun do absolutely anything, hands that drew the compound like he was taking a photograph. “Might I ask how long you’ve been drawing?”

“What? Oh, that. It’s a hobby. I once considered art school, but as you can imagine, my parents did not approve.”

Harry smiles. His youth and Percival’s were quite similar. “I understand completely. It’s why I’m not currently working with butterflies." Percival smiles back, a rare event. Harry is stunned at how handsome the man is. “So…was there anything else you wished to talk about?”

“No. Well, one thing. I just wanted you to know how impressed I was with young Galahad. I know he’s your protégé.”

“Yes.”

“He’s talkative, of course, but when he makes it to the field, he’s all business. He’s more professional than I expected. It’s obvious he takes the job quite seriously, and that it means a great deal to him. You should be proud of him.”

“I am,” Harry says with a faint smile. “I can only take credit for bringing him to Kingsman, of course…everything else is all Eggsy.”

“Yes.” Percival sips at his tea, and again Harry’s drawn to the elegant fingers. He absently wonders how they’d feel wrapped around his cock. That thought shocks him, and he quickly looks down at his cup to hide his blush. “Well, I won’t keep you any longer.” Percival drains his cup and stands. “Thank you for the tea.”

“Percival,” Harry stands as well. “I’m sorry you weren’t able to follow you dream. You are quite talented. I’m sorry I never knew this before. I…I cannot draw a straight line with a ruler, so I’m very impressed.”

“Thank you, Arthur.” Percival nods a farewell and leaves. 

Harry stares at the door for a long time after he leaves, seeing slender fingers and steel blue eyes.

 

Four days later he’s running to Medical, slamming into something hard as soon as he reaches the door. “Arthur.”

“Let me in there. That’s my…that’s Galahad!”

“I know. I know, Harry.”

Harry finally focuses on the man in front of him. Percival’s blue eyes are exhausted and framed with bruises. There’s a nasty gash down his cheek and his left arm is in a sling. “Percival. Oh my God…are you all right? Did I hurt you?”

“No. I caught you on my good side. I’m sorry to stop you, Arthur, but they’re working on Galahad right now. We can’t get in their way.” 

“Yes. Of course. I’m sorry.” Harry takes a deep breath. “I just…”

“We all know the way you feel about Galahad, Arthur.” Percival gives him a tired grin. “He’s like a son to you, and I know he views you like a father.”

“Well…yes.” Harry blushes a bit. “But you…you’re injured.”

“I’ll be all right. My elbow caught the worst of it. The sling’s a precaution, really…I should be rid of it in a few days.”

“Why don’t you go up to your room and rest, Percival? You’ve earned it.”

“I’ll go clean up and change, but I’ll be back,” Percival promises. “You shouldn’t have to wait alone, and it’s my fault he’s in there like that.”

“Your fault?”

“He pushed me out of the way, Harry,” Percival whispers. It’s the most emotion he’s ever expressed in Harry’s presence. “The truck was coming, and…he pushed me out of the way.”

“Percival, no. It’s not your fault.” Harry pauses before gently embracing him.

“I can’t…he’s too young…he shouldn’t have done that.” Percival briefly allows his head to rest on Harry’s shoulder. 

“It’s Eggsy, Percival. He probably didn’t even think twice,” Harry murmurs, rubbing his back. He feels Percival take a deep breath before he stands up straight again.

“Thank you, Arthur. I’ll be right back down.” Percival slowly walks away.

Harry sighs and goes to sit on the seat Percival’s recently vacated but something’s lying on the chair. It’s a small journal with a leather cover. He picks it up and sits down before flipping through it. He’s shocked to see drawings, hundreds of drawings in pencil and pen. Obviously Percival dropped it, and he knows he shouldn’t look through it. He can’t stop himself. Page after page of small sketches. Sketches of animals and buildings. Sketches of Merlin, of Eggsy, of Roxy. And a large number of sketches of Harry himself. Harry stares at his own face on the paper. Percival’s caught him in all sorts of moods. Pensive. Worried. Angry. Happy. Sketches of hands that Harry recognizes as his own. Sketches of his legs, and even his eyes. 

“Amazing,” Harry whispers, wondering just when Percival’s been watching him so intently. 

He’s still flipping through the journal when he sees Percival coming down the hall. “You were right, Arthur. I feel…” Percival stops short. “Oh.”

“I’m sorry, Percival, I know I shouldn’t have gone through your personal property.” Harry blushes. “But I…this is remarkable. Your talent…”

“Just scribbles.” Percival sits in the chair next to Harry. “Things I see.”

“You…you have a lot of drawings of me,” Harry says quietly.

“I find you quite intriguing.” Percival looks at his hands. “You bear a great weight, yet you carry yourself with such lightness, with such…ease. I cannot help but look at you.”

“I…” Harry’s never been so flattered. “Thank you, Percival. I…I didn’t know you saw me in this way.”

“How could I help it?” 

“Percival, I…”

“Arthur.” The doctor comes out of the Medical bay and they both jump to their feet. “Galahad is stable, if you’d like to come see him.”

“Yes. Yes, I would.” Harry sighs with relief. He turns to Percival. “I…I need to go in there.”

“All right. I…I’ll wait here for you, if you like.”

“I would like that,” Harry whispers. Percival gives him a small smile and motions to the door.

“Go. I’ll be waiting.”

Harry hurries into Medical with a smile of his own.


End file.
